Wednesday, January 22, 2014

I had the honor of meeting Freda Kelly at Fest For Beatles Fans - Chicago, and like pretty much everyone else who has encountered this woman, found her entirely charming. She’ll be at the Fest For Beatles Fan - New York in February.

Freda Kelly’s story is a prime example of how life can sometimes trump anything created by a novelist or screenwriter. Picked by Brian Epstein from a multitude of love-struck teenage girls who hung out at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, she became his full-time employee and secretary of the Official Beatles Fan Club. For 11 years, Kelly had a first-hand look at the rise and fall of the most important rock band in history. How well she responded to that amazing opportunity is the subject of the new documentary Good Ol’ Freda.

The friendly and familiar tone of the title fits this woman perfectly. Kelly’s easy-going manner enabled her to weather Epstein’s notoriously volatile moods, connect with fans on a truly emotional level, and become like one of the family to The Beatles and their parents. But as the band became overwhelmingly popular and Epstein found it necessary to bring in more young women to help open the mail, it was Kelly who made sure the work didn’t dissolve into a gigglefest. And she wasn’t above sacking anyone who proved untrustworthy.

Good Ol’ Freda uses archival film and photos of The Beatles’ early days, along with a series of interviews with Kelly at home and while visiting noteworthy sites like the Empire Theatre in Liverpool. There is also sporadic commentary from a few of her contemporaries on how dedicated she was to her work and The Beatles. Kelly’s sense of discretion and loyalty is a running theme throughout Good Ol’ Freda. She could have made a fortune by writing a tell-all account of the Fab Four’s inner circle, but has remained out of the limelight for decades instead.

On a few occasions when she’s asked to comment on a delicate matter in the documentary, she smiles coyly and insists some things should remain secret. Most of her recollections are upbeat; like how much John, Paul, George, and Ringo enjoyed signing autographs and were willing to accommodate even the more unusual requests from fans.

“Nothing was a problem,” Kelly recalls of the lads’ genial attitude.

Kelly initially used her home address to receive fan mail until her father objected. She visited Starr’s mother once a week for tea, and got dancing tips from Harrison’s father. She was also along for the ride when The Beatles were devastated by the death of Epstein, and when the band began splitting apart. For the first time in her career, she felt the need to shade the truth, telling members of the media that The Beatles were doing fine. Still, she’s come away with a deep respect for the four musicians who weren’t much older than her when she first met them at The Cavern.

“I’m very proud that I worked for them,” Kelly states at the end of Good Ol’ Freda.

Brian Epstein received a long overdue induction into theRock And Roll Hall Of Fame this year. It’s often been said that he saw something in the young Beatles that so many other people in the music industry had missed. Apparently, he knew something about hiring secretaries as well.

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About This Blog

Broken Hearted Toy is an eclectic celebration of creativity, with over 2,000 posts since 2009.

It's based in Chicago but covers power pop, garage, cutting-edge, and 1960s rock from around the globe; along with occasional bits on art; literature; and theatre.

Top of the hill is a nice place to be at. - - - "Elevated Observations" by The Hollies.

Check out some of my previoius creative endeavors.

Sunday Morning Coffee With Jeff was a weekly Internet show created by and starring Jeff Kelley. It mostly consisted of comedy bits and obscure 1960s garage rock set to vintage TV and film clips but also spotlighted entertainment events around Illinois.

My wife Pam and I created a handful of series (each episode was about two minutes long) that were shown on Sunday Morning Coffee With Jeff. They included Manchester Gallery (see description below); Old Days, which I hosted in the persona of a cranky old man named Fritz Willoughby; Roving Reporter, where I played the clueless title character; What's With Terry?, a performance arts program; and Hanging With The Hollies, a takeoff on Breakfast With The Beatles.

I've also worked with Kelley and Willy Deal on comedy clips, and with Kelley and David Metzger on films for the annual Nightmare on Chicago Street Halloween festival in Elgin.

I'm particularly proud of this 21-episode comedy series Pam and I created for Sunday Morning Coffee With Jeff. Each installment was a few minutes long, and featured me portraying Terrence, the curator of a pop culture museum.

I was a staff writer for this Chicago-based magazine from 1987 to 2015. The Illinois Entertainer has been covering rock music for over 40 years, and can be found in stores and entertainment venues, as well as in an online edition.

Chicago Art Machine was a web-based publishing company run by Editor-in-Chief, Kathryn Born, and Managing Editor, Robin Dluzen, that included Chicago Art Magazine, Chicago DIY Film,Chicago Performance And Trailers, and TINC. Most of my submissions appeared in Chicago DIY Film and Chicago Performance And Trailers, although I contributed to all the online Chicago Art Machine publications.

I was a writer and performer with this local comedy group from 1989 to 2009. Famous In The Future continues to perform in the Chicago area, and appeared at every one of the Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sinstheatre festivals that were held at the Mary-Arrchie Theatre. Since the closing of the Mary-Arrchie Theatre a few years ago, Famous In The Future has carried on the tradition by presenting Yippie Fest each year in August.

I'm an active member of SCBWI, (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and have written two Middle Grade fantasy novels. I've just finished a YA/paranormal novel, and also wrote a suspense/satiric novel that takes place amidst Chicago's alternative music scene in the mid-1980s.

Broken Hearted Toy

The blog title comes from the line, "I'm the brokenhearted toy you play with" in the song "I Can't Let Go" by The Hollies. One of the great original British Invasion bands, The Hollies continue to have an immense influence on power pop bands to this day, and have finally been inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Here is a video of "I Can't Let Go" being performed in 1966.